More than 2.5 billion people (over 40% of the planet's population) live in rural and remote areas of developing countries. Of the small fraction that has any access to telecommunications, voice telephony has been the main service provided. But today, interactive multimedia services, such as e-mail, tele-education and telemedicine, are just as important as voice connectivity. This report looks at technological developments that have the potential to support interactive multimedia services in rural and remote areas.